


What Comes Next

by spacec



Series: Legacy of Din [1]
Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:14:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28920384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spacec/pseuds/spacec
Summary: Takes place right after the Season 2 Finale.My version of what happens after Luke takes Grogu for Jedi training.
Series: Legacy of Din [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2121156
Comments: 10
Kudos: 34





	1. Afterwards

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, this is my very first fanfic on A03, I just found out about this website and I'm trying it out! This is actually one of the first fanfics that I've ever written so please bear with my questionable storytelling techniques... I know I've got a lot to learn.
> 
> I'm also using FanFiction.net currently, and it has more of my writing there. I want to slowly release what I have so far on A03 to space stuff out. My user there is spacec

Mando watches as his foundling disappears behind the door. 

The Mandalorian imagines Grogu’s wide eyes as they make their first and last gaze upon each other’s faces without a helmet between them. He’s broken the creed but still feels that he did the right thing at the time. Tempted to turn around and let the others see his face, he can’t bring himself to it. 

The torn bounty hunter bends down and retrieves the helmet from the ground and places it on his head, but still faces towards where he last saw his son. The Mandalorian doesn’t quite know what to do since his mission is fulfilled. He asks himself how he survived so many years before he met grogu because he feels has lost his purpose. The childless father wants to say something to the rest of the group but doesn’t know what.

His warm tears are still flowing down his face, but not to be seen. Mando tries to stop this empty feeling within him by telling himself that this is what he set out to do. But the Mandalorian's attempts at taming his feelings fail, and his helmet picks up on his labored breathing and occasional hiccup and broadcasts it into the quiet room where the rest can hear.

“Mando…” Cara says empathetically as she walks over to the troubled Mandalorian. “We all know how much the little guy meant to you.” She’s on the verge of tears herself.

“I- “ Mando’s voice is shaky, and he tries to swallow all of his feelings at once but cannot. 

His hand automatically goes to his belt, searching for the foundlings’ favorite ball to comfort him but instead is met with a column of metal. The dark saber. This gives Mando something else to think about, something else to distract him. He’s now Mand’alor, and crying about his safe and well-off foundling is not something he thinks a Mand’alor should be doing. 

He lifts his head up as he tries to mimic his own meaningful strides, feeling alien to his own action. He steps into the same elevator that his son was just in and he fends off another wave of tears.

“This isn’t healthy Mando,” Cara reasons with him, “you and I both know it’s not.”

Everyone else in the room is still, also saddened by the turn of events. Mando still stays silent after a few moments.

Then with a loud _hiss_ , the elevator door slams closed.


	2. Distrust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place after they had left Moff's Imperial Light Cruiser and while they are flying away from the scene, Moff decides to stir the pot within the group. Specifically between Bo-Katan and Mando.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah! Thanks to those who sent Kudos, it makes me feel so welcome to the community! Hope you enjoy the chapter :D As you can see the chapters are slowly getting longer and longer, hope yall don't mind too much lol

(Fennik was picked up by Boba after Mando had left the rest of the group in the bridge, so the only characters are now Bo-Katan, Mando, Koska (Bo-Katan's Mandalorian friend), and Cara. Koska is piloting the ship which is why she doesn't appear in the scene.)

They are now sitting in the hangar of the ship that they had entered on, nobody has spoken a word since the bridge. Mando sits there quietly, and everyone observes him, curious of what his reaction would be.

Mando is now gently holding the small orb, rolling it between his fingers occasionally as he tries to find what he should do to pull himself together. He tries to find a happy memory to think of, and he reminisces on how happy Grogu was whenever he had his favorite ball. The battle-hardened fighter chuckles a little under his breath at the memories of the kid gnawing at the thing eagerly. The happy chuckle quickly becomes a sad one once he realizes that Grogu won't have his favorite ball for a while.

He grips the little sphere tighter and hopes that whatever the force is would transfer his pressure to grogu as a small hug. He's determined to keep his promise to Grogu that they will see each other again.

Mando reassures himself that the Jedi and Grogu have the magical force to talk together with, so if anything, the Jedi would be a much better guardian than himself. The thought starts a new feeling of jealousy, what if the Jedi becomes Grogus new favorite father? He shifts around uncomfortably in the seat. Mando pushes his feelings of jealousy away and moves his focus to the more pressing ones. He doesn't have time to feel jealous of a sorcerer.

His mind automatically switches over to how he broke the creed in front of everyone earlier, and he reminds himself he's now the Mand'alor. The Mandalorian sighs in newfound frustration. He no longer feels like he is worthy of being a Mandalorian, but at the same time, he knows that he has every right to be one since he's the leader of Mandalore. This opens up a whole new world of questions.

How did he get into this mess? How did Moff Gideon get the dark saber in the first place, and how was it even possible to accidentally become the rightful ruler of Mandalore? Shouldn't there be more... tests? He continues to fidget with the sphere in his hands.

"Din Djaren," The speaker interrupts Mandos's train of thought. "The rightful leader of Mandalore, I can tell you are still torn by your parting. But the small creature is going to be the least of your worries now."

Mando turns to address the speaker, half feeling unnerved since he's not used to hearing his own name. His eyes find Moff Gideon sitting in the middle of the hanger where everyone can keep an eye on him. He leans towards Mando in anticipation.

"But I see you've already settled on that." Moff continues on his little speech. "I believe you're just starting to process what you have in possession of," He smirks. "And I know that the dark saber is the only thing keeping that helmet on your head right now, am I wrong?"

This catches Mando's attention because one thing is to predict someone's actions, and another is to predict someone's exact train of thoughts. This amuses Moff.

"Don't be so surprised, Din Djaren," Moff says in a hint of mocking tone. "I already told you my advice. Assume that I. Know. everything."

Bo-Katan steps in. "Quiet." She snaps at Moff.

"Bo-Katan Kryze," Moff shifts his attention to her. "Since we are both retirees of the throne, shouldn't we be kinder to each other? Why would I want to listen to the ruler of Mandalore that led their people into the great purge and lost the dark saber not only once, but twice? Are you sure that I am the one that should be in cuffs?"

Bo-Katan doesn't respond because she cannot find words to counter him. Moff is just starting to get under her skin.

Mando is taken aback by the new information. He knew that she wanted the dark saber, but she never told him that she was the leader that led his people into the great purge. Mando starts to lose trust in Bo-Katan, questioning what other information she kept from him. This gives him another reason to keep his reluctant hold on to the throne. He's not sure that he should trust Bo-Katan with the leadership of all Mandalorians. Mando watches Bo-Katan cautiously, skeptical of whether his next foe is sitting across from him. She returns the favor.

"And yet you still seek power." Moff is still addressing Bo-Katan, and his tone has a hint of excitement. "This will be interesting."

Cara points a blaster at Moffs head to force him to be quiet, but Moff's intended damage has already been dealt.


	3. Split

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bo-Katan decides to fight Mando at a rest-stop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! thanks for the support on this story, it really means a lot. Thanks and I hope yall enjoy this chapter ;D

The tension in the ship has not dissipated since Moff's one-sided conversation.

"Do we have a destination? Or do you want me to just keep flying for now?" Koska's voice projects through the ship's speakers. "I'm gonna have to stop somewhere to refuel, I'm planning on stopping at Felucia and we can talk more there."

The ship jolts immediately out of hyperspace, throwing Moff to the front of the ship. Cara still holds her blaster aimed at his head. This seems to have made a crack in the tension.

Bo-Katan finally blurts out what she's been thinking the entire ride. "When we get down there, we fight."

"No." Mando quickly dismisses her proposal.

"He just lost his kid, give the man some time," Cara adds.

"Mandalore cannot wait." Bo-Katan hisses back. "Fight now and we won't have to cross paths."

"No." Mando restates.

Right now, the dark saber the only thing keeping the man sane. It gives him a reason not to break down, giving him a reason to keep going. He can't just let go of it now, her opportunity to take it is over.

The ship rattles as it enters the planet's thick atmosphere and it keeps everyone quiet once again. Bo-Katan sits uneasy, planning her next move as Moff gives a malicious grin.

* * *

The hangar door opens, to reveal a swamp-like planet filled with lush vegetation of translucent plants the size of the ship. Everything seems to have a tinge of yellow, and the sun peeks through the haze which makes everything seem like it's glowing.

Everyone walks out, (Gideon is being escorted by Cara) to examine the strange surroundings while Koska gets the ship is refueled with a local's help.

Mando explores and finds that there's a little town and can't help himself from noticing the kids playing close by. The village reminds him of Sorgan. This re-opens the wound in his heart that he has been trying to bandage, what little progress he has made is reset. _Great, how am I supposed to move on if the sight of kids reminds me of him_ the Mandalorian thinks, feeling defeated. He finds a nice little spot to stalk them, just out of curiosity of course. As Mando watches, he imagines Grogu playing along with the kids. Something is calming about watching imaginary Grogu play and it settles him a bit. Allowing himself to daydream, he finds some relief.

Then all of a sudden Mando's pushed forward by the force of a blaster shot. He almost tumbles into the nearby foliage, but he regains his balance in time and whips around, blaster in hand.

Bo-Katan.

Mando is half-way turned around when Bo-Katan's makeshift spear swings and strikes him on the side of his body, a spot not protected by beskar. The impact of the spear feels like he's been whipped and he winces in pain. Before she can get in another hit, Mando lunges forward and tackles her. The stick is sent flying into the air as she's knocked back by the heavier Mandalorian.

Bo-Katan is quickly back on her feet and immediately retrieves her weapon. Mando shoots at her, but her armor protects her from harm as she continues her steady trek towards him. He classifies his blaster as useless and puts it back in his holster. Now he knows how annoyed his opponents must feel when they try to shoot him. Mando ignites his flamethrower in her direction, and she ducks under the flames and kicks the side of his knee, another weak spot.

Mandos knee buckled beneath him, and he topples to the ground. Bo-Katan spares no time. She's already on top of him, using her body weight to press the side of the spear towards Mando's throat. Mando is pushing back but his arm strength is no match for Bo-Katan's body weight and the spear slowly inches closer and closer to his neck. Mando's arms start to shake due to fatigue.

"Don't take this too personally," Bo-Katan says as she senses her victory coming close. It almost seems as if she's enjoying this.

Mando can't afford to respond, he's panting due to all the extra work. The spear is starting to choke him. He's gasping for as much air as possible under his helmet. Bo-Katan is pressing harder and harder, gravity on her side.

As a last attempt, Mando engages his jet pack and flies out from underneath Bo-Katan. He didn't know how much he appreciates not having a spear choking him to death and greedily takes in as much air as possible to fill his lungs. He jets back to the ship, keeping an eye on Bo-Katan while she tries to keep up with him while shouting all sorts of foul language.

The ship isn't too far away, and from his high altitude, he spots Cara fighting with Koska near the entrance. Even though Cara doesn't have any armor, it seems like she's muscling through the fight and doesn't seem to have an injury, yet. It's hard to win a fight against someone with a much higher defensive advantage. He increases the speed of the jetpack, leaving Bo-Katan behind as she tries to run through the thick tropical foliage.

Mando still doesn't know what to make of all the fighting. All he knows now is that he has to get out of this planet, Cara included. Bo-Katan and Koska can deal with Moff. As he approaches the fight, he braces for impact, his trajectory pointed straight at Koska. He collides with her with full force, knocking her unconscious without knowing what hit her. The impact did a number on Mando too, but he's still conscious which is all that matters. Mando wobbles back to his feet.

"Mando?" Cara asks in a confused voice, still standing as if she was trying to block a punch and breathing heavily.

"Yeah. We need to get out of here now." There's a slight urgency to Mandos's voice, he's not sure how far Bo-Katan is since he lost sight of her. He's already on the ship with Cara following.

"What about Bo-Katan? Did she go crazy and start attacking you too? What about Moff?" Cara asks

"Leave them. They can't do much on this planet, it'll strand them here for awhile. Give us enough time to disappear."

Cara doesn't question him too much, if Mando wants to leave them then so be it. She's got nothing against his reasoning. They hear Bo-Katan's screaming coming closer to the ship and quickly close the door.

Mando takes the pilot seat and flies the ship out of the atmosphere with no destination in mind, and with a full tank, they can get pretty far without stopping. It should give them enough time to think of somewhere. It should give them enough time to disappear.


	4. Grieve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okayyyyyy I'm backkkkk
> 
> Sorry I don't think that I put a notice that I would be gone for like a week or two because of finals, but they are finally over so yay I can write again!
> 
> Anyways this is the first thing that I've written in a while so sorry if it's a bit rough around the edges... I appreciate any suggestions and what you think of the chapter in the comments!

After a couple of silent hours of sorting out what they have and taking care of themselves, Mando and Cara finally sit in the cockpit to do some final checks. As time pushes on Cara can see that her friend is having a harder and harder time thinking about his situation and everything that happened over the past week. 

“So, “ Cara breaks the comfortable silence between them. “What’s the plan, Mando? Or should I say, your highness?” She gives her signature smirk, trying to lighten the mood.

“Don’t call me that-” he says half-serious and half-jokingly

“But doesn’t that make you the king of Mandalore?” she points over to the dark saber, “pretty sure your royalty now.” 

This actually seems to stump the man a bit. “It's called Mand’alor, and no thanks.” 

“Come on, not even ml’ lord or king mando?” she gives a playful shove to his shoulder, “and technically you rule over all Mandalorians now right? So that's a whole list of new allies you could talk with. Who knows, you can have a comfortable life in a palace somewhere.” 

There’s a bitter tone in his voice, “You know I don’t want that.” 

“I know, but just sayin’, your highness,” She leans back in her chair, clearly enjoying watching Mando squirm at being called your highness.

Flustered, he can’t get over being called royalty after being just a foundling for so long. “Stop- Just-” 

“Come on, you sure you don’t want me to call you something else?” 

He pauses for a moment, thinking for a bit. “Call me Din.” 

“What?” Shocked, she didn’t expect him to say that.

“Nothing.” He turns his chair away from her, facing the front of the ship instead.

“Wait, do you want me to call you Din?” Confused, she finally takes the whole weight of what he said.

“You missed your chance Dune, Mando it is.” Crossing his arms, he mocks her, buying into the playful atmosphere.

“Come on, you can’t just say that I can and then take it away so quick” 

“Or can I? I thought I was Mandalore.” His helmet tilts to the side ever so slightly, and Cara can swear that she can see the smirk on his face.

“Sure,” She gives an overexaggerated eye-roll. “so what's your first command as Mandalore?”

“Second. Don’t call me ‘your highness’ is the first.” 

“Fine, second.” 

“Hmm,” He thinks about it for a moment, “How long did you say that you would be gone? From your job as a marshal?”

“Two weeks.” 

“Okay,” he states confidently, “then how about we head to Tatooine”

“Tatooine,” she pauses, “Huh. That was quick. Why?” 

“Plenty of jobs. Off the radar. Perfect for our situation” 

Despite all of the chaos that has been happening for the past week, he longs to get back to a routine that he knows. A part of him wants to go back to his old routine, so he checks a few more stats on the control panel just for the effect. His head tilts back, not to check on Cara, but because of his muscle memory of constantly checking on Grogu. The fact that his body did that without his command only stabs another knife through his heart. Even his muscle memory remembers the kid. Everything seems to be a reminder of Grogu, everything constantly slamming him down, using his own emotions against him. But he has to remind himself that he’s in a new ship, has a new passenger, has a new title, new responsibilities, and must find a new routine. Cara watches as he does all of these pointless motions, and she can tell that he’s falling back to thinking about the kid already.

“... Your not going to let yourself have a break aren't you” Her voice almost disappointed.

“I’m not,” is the only thing that he could say, she predicted his thoughts before he even thought about it.

“Look, maybe we need to talk about-”

“No, I don’t.” His tone sounds harsher than expected, but he leaves it. He has a bad feeling about what she’s about to say.

“You didn’t let me finish,”

“Well, I can tell it's something I don’t want anything to do with already” At this point, he knows what she’s going to ask about, and something inside him shuts down at the thought of talking about feelings.

“The kid, Mando.” 

His figure stiff, he doesn’t respond to her. He saw this coming but that doesn’t make the truth harder to face.

“Yes you need time, but you also need to stop bottling up your feelings. I can’t just watch as a week goes by and I’ve done nothing to help you.” She’s almost pleading, almost talking as if she needed to talk to him more than he did to her.

“...” 

“Mando, listen to me. I can’t just leave you here, alone. Without anyone to talk to- I want to lessen the blow as much as I can. So please, just talk and we’ll try to sort some things out while I’m here, or at least think about it...” 

What she said is true, and both of them could benefit from talking about it. But all of this seems too early, and he’s tired of breaking so many rules. Mando just wants to play it safe for a while.

“Mando-” Her voice trails off, talking to him seems like a lost cause. At least assuming that he’s already shut down, he won’t open up for a while.

“I miss him.” Unexpectedly, His voice trembles through the modulator, something that he didn’t know that he was doing. Taking a shaky breath, he tries to say something else but nothing forms.

Now it was Cara’s turn to be speechless, she didn’t expect him to actually open up to her so soon.

He turns to face the obvious, maybe saying it out loud would actually help. He was desperate at this point. “He was my adi’ka, and now he’s safe with the Jedi” His words voice becoming even more unstable, finally his voice croaks out “I- I didn’t know I would hurt this much, I thought I could be strong-”

Cara cuts him off by wrapping him in a warm embrace, although they weren’t very big fans of hugs she knew that it was the right thing to do. The structure holding back Mando’s feelings crumbled to the ground. He didn’t want to cry in front of anyone because he’s so used to grieving alone. But this time was different, and he had someone that he could rely on and she felt the loss too. It only touches Mando even further and finally lets himself cry, without trying to hold back. The wet spot growing on his shoulder is the only indication that Cara was crying too, and he hugs her back to let her know that he’s also there to support her. They both sit there, trying to rid themselves of as many tears as possible.

Through the intermittent sniffles, Cara finally reassures him. “Don’t worry Mando, you’ll see the kid again, I’m sure of it” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yea I wanted to show that strong people can cry too without being embarrassed about it. Hope that came across right in the story haha-
> 
> Also, I wasn't really aiming for a CaraDin ship but sorry if it kinda looks like it


	5. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mando and Cara finally get to Tatooine, and they find unexpected friends there before them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!! Okay, I am sooooo sorry for taking so long for this chapter, I wasn't sure of Boba Fett's personality very well cause he has so much history and I really just don't know much about him- I wanted to try and give him justice so I did somE research (if reading Boba Fett fanfics count as "research" haha) before I really wrote this chapter...
> 
> Also, I just wanted to catch up on some fics that I've been following ;) I have no good excuses;;;;

After their emotional session died down, they finally jumped out of hyperspace and were facing the sandy planet. Right after their noses started running they had sadly been reminded that the ship didn’t have a washroom, and they couldn’t spare extra clothes to clean themselves up without smearing dirt and grime on their faces. Both made a note that the ship was virtually useless, it was definitely not suited for someone to live in it which would mean that Mando should get an upgrade soon. 

The ship doesn’t rattle as much as the crest when they enter the atmosphere of Tatooine, and he panics a little bit, at least until he remembers that he wasn’t in the Crest and that he’s not supposed to be alarmed at smooth landings. They dock near a palace, a place that he left at good terms once he caught a high-valued target that had been on the loose for a while. Although the pay wasn’t the greatest here, the place makes up for that with so many quick and easy jobs. 

“Oh look, more sand,” Cara deadpans.

Her comment goes ignored as Mando touches down near the palace. They both unceremoniously exit the ship, greeted by several cloaked beings to mask themselves from the scorching sun. 

“State your business” One of them shouts out in basic. 

“Looking for some,” Mando calls out, walking through the small group while Cara follows behind. The welcome party doesn’t seem too alarmed and sets down their guns, radioing something into their hands. 

She’s never been to this palace before and suddenly becomes self-conscious of whether they care about her rebel tattoo, maybe it'll get them trouble, maybe it'll help. She settles with neither and takes a small cloth from one of her pockets and ties it around the marking. They both make their way to the entrance of the castle and once the guards see Mando they let him in. He remembers that he left on good terms but not _that_ good of terms. Cara seems to pick up on Mando’s increased awareness and caution of the place and then heightens her own. They have eventually escorted down a large spiral staircase, assuming to where there will be some pucks. 

Something is different about the place, but Mando couldn’t put his finger on it. 

They finally make their way to an opening, and in the center of the room, it displayed a large throne- the throne that he remembers the Hutt always sat on. It looks huge without anyone occupying it. 

“Mando!” 

Greeted by a familiar voice, both Mando and Cara turn their heads in the direction the voice came from. They are met with another Mandalorian, seemingly caught in the middle of cleaning his rifle. The woman next to him holds her own, but it is fully assembled in one hand, and the other has a bottle of glowing blue spotchka. 

“Fett?” The confusion of Mando’s tone doesn’t filter out through the modulator completely.

“Fennick,” Cara says, with a smirk growing on her face. “Mind if you share?” 

___

“Long time no see huh?” Cara starts the conversation off. 

The four of them sit at a pub, Fennick, and Cara with a cup of spotcha in hand as the two Mandalorians sit there with nothing. Something was unsaid, and there was a lot of tension at the table. 

“Yeah,” Fennick replies to Cara. “We just got this place yesterday, and I’ve already decided that It’s fun being the boss of hundreds of people.” 

This hits Mando a bit, is that how he should view being Mandalore? Now he’s the boss of thousands, maybe millions. Maybe that breaks the “fun”.

“What about you two? Do anything big since the last time we met?” Fennick’s eyes catch the glint of the dark saber on Mando’s belt. She directs her voice in a softer tone hinted with caution, remembering that the saber means that he’s an even bigger king than herself and Fett. “You plan on doing anything with that soon?” She points over at the sword.

“... Not yet,” Mando replies, and honestly he doesn’t know what he’s going to do with it and whether he will do anything with it. “But I was here for something else.” 

“What do you need? I’m pretty sure this place has nice things to spare you.” Boba replies.

“A puck.” 

The table goes silent. 

“I don’t think I can do that.” Boba deadpans, unimpressed.

“He just needs to blow off some steam, at least let him do that.” Cara reasons, and then she refills her cup of spotchka. 

“I can bring him to a shooting range if that’s what he wants” Fennick adds. “If it credits you're after then we can give you lodging and enough to last you a good month”

“No, I want a puck. I just need something to do right now.” the way he said it makes it sound like it was his only coping mechanism, and in a way it was. Which was almost pitiful. He tries to recover by asking, “and how much for a ship?” 

Boba and Fennick give a glance at each other, noting that Mando’s bare-bone way to cope with his feelings and problems is to work it off. A classic workaholic. And somewhere in the back of their minds, they tell themselves to keep note that if Mando starts working more than usual then that Means something is bothering him.

“What’s wrong with the one that you came in?” Boba asks, questioning whether Mando is just taking advantage of his own new power. 

“There’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just not-” He pauses to think, cause no other ship will ever be able to fully replace the crest. Nothing will be able to replace his old intergalactic travel home. “Not good for travel.”

“Okay, then you can take this one.” Boba then turns over to tell a worker to fetch something, and they come back with some keys. When Fennik takes a peek at the keys an anticipating smile grows across her face, then Boba throws the keys over to Mando, and he promptly catches it. “I think that'll fit your version of travel.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank yall so much for leaving Kudos and bookmarking the story! It really makes my day when people decide to do either or both of those things! :) also comments really mean a lot to me, so even if it's a small emoji or a word I still appreciate it a lot and I'll try to respond to every comment!
> 
> also if you see some sort of spelling error or grammatical error and it really bothers you then feel free to message me/comment it


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